Ashikaga Yoshimitsu said in a somewhat speculative tone.

"Could it be that General Li Jinglong wants to show favor to the Muromachi Shogunate and let the Shogunate remember his kindness, so he hinted in advance, so that I don't lose my breath at the dinner party and spoil the big thing?"

Thinking of this, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was not only a little moved.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was ready to turn his face against Ming Kuni.

After all, the Ming envoy came without telling him, and he was so mysterious.

He also sent General Li Jinglong, a high-ranking member of the Ming Kingdom, to personally lead the team.

It's hard to believe that there's nothing to say about it.

But now, all this mystery has been revealed.

General Li Jinglong has already used Huaxia allusions to tell him that all this happened only because the new Ming Emperor was more face-saving, and he was impatient to show his might to Siyi after ascending the throne.

And General Li Jinglong is a mature and steady political master, if he does not read the edict that is likely to be insulting in public, then he is very likely to be unable to explain to the new emperor of the Ming State.

And if the insulting edict is read in public and he does not get a hint in advance, it is likely to sabotage the exchange between the Ming Kingdom and Japan and ruin the task of General Li Jinglong.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu put himself in his shoes and thought about it, the same general, the same one person, if the emperor has the authority and military power of the Ming Emperor, will he be as trembling as General Li Jinglong?

Definitely!

Therefore, General Li Jinglong could only tell himself in this euphemistic, ingenious, and politically wise way that the Ming Kingdom had no intention of using force against Japan.

Similarly, if Ashikaga Yoshimitsu could endure the temporary insult like Sima Yi, the powerful minister of Wei, and then send a delegation back to the Ming Dynasty with the Ming mission, to give the new Ming Emperor face.

Then Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will also be like Sima Yi, who will get the two things he dreams of.

"Shu Jin" and "Wei".

That is, to construct trade with future generations of the Emperor's throne.

Look, this is the wrist of the top political master of the Ming Kingdom!

In this way, he informed Ashikaga Yoshimitsu of his attitude without leaving any authority, and at the same time promised enough benefits to give the two sides an extremely favorable basis for communication, and also successfully completed the thorny task assigned to him by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

And all this is just a few boxes of women's clothes and Shu brocade.

"High! It's really high! ”

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu not only sighed repeatedly.

Gu Jian Miaokuai proposed: "General Li Jinglong's good intentions, whether he was intentional or unintentional, have helped you in substance, I suggest that we should give him the highest courtesy, otherwise it will not be enough to express our gratitude." ”

"Not bad!"

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu said happily: "I will receive this great general of the Ming Kingdom with the courtesy of receiving the emperor, and he will be my most honored guest!" ”

Residence of the Mission.

"You say it again?!"

Li Jinglong's angry and frightened voices were mixed, and the frightened servants and family generals were silent.

said that they were family generals, but in fact, they were all second-generation children of the old soldiers of the Cao Guogong Mansion who grew up with Li Jinglong since he was a child, playing together when he was young, and when he grew up, he went to the battlefield together to protect Li Jinglong from running away.

Just as the most capable of fighting in the late Ming Dynasty were the family troops of the general soldiers, this tradition was passed down from the families of the military ministers and nobles in the early Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, not only is the distinction between master and servant not so particular, but the treatment is even more superior, nominally a "servant", and the kind that does not change the officials of a hundred households outside.

They hadn't seen each other for many years, and Grandpa Guo, who was usually either calm or giggling, was so furious.

Cao Ada's mouth trembled and said, "The monks of Xiangguo Temple came to convey the words of the master of Luyuan Courtyard. ”

"The owner of the Deer Garden Courtyard said: He likes the 'women's clothes' and 'Shu brocade' you gave him very much, and completely understands your intentions."

When Li Jinglong heard this, he was like falling into an ice cave.

His hands and feet instantly became cold, and he pointed to Cao Afu who was huddled in the corner.

"You, you"

"Ling" for a long time, speechless.

Immediately afterwards, Li Jinglong's lips began to tremble, and as soon as his eyes closed, he fainted.

Seeing this, the servants and family generals hurriedly gathered around, carried the unconscious Li Jinglong back to the room, and immediately sent someone to ask the physician of the mission to come over for treatment after returning to the room and setting himself up.

At the same time, during the period when the doctor did not arrive.

They followed the usual methods for the treatment of coma.

pinched Li Jinglong and poured gold juice.

When the mission's physician arrived in a hurry, he found that Li Jinglong had already woken up, but his face was extremely pale, and his lips were more like white frost.

The spittoon on the ground was full of yellow vomit.

And when Li Jinglong looked at the few generals standing by the bed, his gaze was as sharp as a sharp blade.

The generals of the Cao Guo Mansion who poured dung on him were frightened and fell to their knees one after another.

The doctor didn't know why, so he also knelt down and asked cautiously, "Dare to ask Grandpa Guo, do you feel any discomfort?" ”

Li Jinglong glanced at these people coldly before retracting his gaze.

Li Jinglong spit out a few words slowly but heavily: "Let's prepare the coffin according to the number of people." ”

Both the physician and the general were stunned by the sudden order.

However, before they could react, Li Jinglong continued to order: "Also, no one is allowed to disclose today's events to the people on the other side of the mission, do you hear clearly?" ”

The generals of the Cao Guo Mansion kowtowed again and again.

The doctor, who was given a key warning, exited the room in fear, leaving Li Jinglong alone, sitting alone on the floor.

"Huh. Hehehe. Hahahahahaha

Li Jinglong laughed maniacally, laughing and laughing, tears sliding down his eyes.

Eventually, he burst into tears.

"Father, mother, son is not filial, and he dies in a foreign country!"

Following.

Flower Palace.

As a dinner party to welcome the Ming delegation, almost all of Japan's leading figures came as long as they could get the news.

Including the "three leaders" of Spo, Hosokawa, and Hatakeyama, whose status was only under the shogun, and the "four positions" of Yamana, Isshiki, Kyogoku, and Akamatsu who were in charge of the squire.

In addition, powerful daimyo from various places, such as Ouchi, Shimazu, Kono, Hosokawa, Ogasawara, Uesugi, and so on, also sent representatives.

These Japanese magnates, before the Ming delegation arrived, took advantage of this rare opportunity to mingle with each other in order to obtain some practical political benefits.

At the same time, some Japanese magnates noticed that the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori and the owner of the deer garden, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who were present at the top, seemed to be very relaxed.

This relaxed performance also set the overall tone for the dinner.

That is, although the Ming delegation came in a hurry and mysterious, the actual rulers of Japan had the confidence and ability to deal with it.

When Li Jinglong, who was a little pale, led the Ming delegation into the banquet hall of the Flower Palace, all the voices that exchanged heads and ears suddenly stopped.

The magnates of Japan looked up at His Excellency, the great general who was under the Ming Kingdom.

Li Jinglong's first impression of them was Gao.

Li Jinglong, who was dressed in a big red robe, was eight feet tall, and he was extremely majestic.

"Si Guoyi!"

"He is worthy of being the general of the Ming Kingdom, and at first glance, he can easily command thousands of soldiers and horses!"

These Japanese magnates didn't know that Li Jinglong's suicide note had already been written at this time.

Li Jinglong came to the banquet completely with the mood of giving himself a funeral.

Or else?

To the actual ruler of Japan, he sent women's clothes and Shu brocade.

People gritted their teeth and told themselves that they understood what they meant.

also said in a weird way that he liked it very much.

What else could this mean?

Of course, it means to eat yourself alive!

However, what should come is always coming, and what should be faced must always be faced.

Li Jinglong took a deep breath and calmly took the lead in sitting in the area of the Ming State Mission.

Li Jinglong clearly saw that the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori and the owner of the deer garden temple, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, were both eagerly staring at him.

Li Jinglong lowered his head and looked at the food on the table.

He always felt that the two of them looked at each other like when they were looking at a roast chicken, thinking about whether to eat chicken legs or chicken wings.

Finished!

It's all over!

Dead today!

The fertilizer immortals can't save themselves!

What to do?

Do you want to speak up before you die?

Li Jinglong felt that every muscle in his body was so tense that it was about to break.

At this moment, Li Jinglong suddenly felt-

The air around them suddenly became quiet.

He looked up suddenly, and saw something that surprised him.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the owner of the deer garden who was sitting at the top, had his cheeks flushed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then he came to him with a wine glass.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu bowed and smiled in non-standard Chinese: "Your Excellency General Li Jinglong, I have been waiting for you for a long time. ”

Li Jinglong was stunned.

According to the normal process, shouldn't you turn your face and get angry at this time, and then lash out at yourself?

What does that mean?

Could it be ......

This guy is going to come out with a cup for the number?

Seeing that Li Jinglong didn't take a stubble, pretending to be cold, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was relieved.

As expected!

General Li Jinglong of the Ming Kingdom did not want to show that he had any intersection with himself in front of the Ming delegation.

Moreover, as the envoy of the Heavenly Empire, it is normal for him to be indifferent to the "foreign Yi" in the eyes of the Ming people, and to hold his posture.

If you are too eager, it will make people suspicious.

Thinking of this, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu not only sighed, but General Li Jinglong is indeed a political master, public is public, private is private, and the boundaries are clear.

And the Japanese magnates who were watching nervously here, seeing that the envoy of the Ming Kingdom was so faceless, some people couldn't help but want to show themselves in front of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Some people held down the katana at their waists, some people blurted out the "Yaga" in their mouths, and the samurai of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's cronies planned to humiliate the ministers to death, and gave the Ming delegation a little caesarean section shock.

But what no one expected was that at this critical moment.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu laughed, drank all the wine in his glass, and then filled Li Jinglong and his own wine glasses with his own hands.

"According to the words of Ming Guo, I have done my best to be a landlord, and I invite General Li Jinglong to take care of myself!"

Li Jinglong also came back to his senses at this time.

Although it is not clear why Ashikaga Yoshimitsu did not become angry, it may be that people are well-cultivated, or it may be that he does not want to offend Daming.

But no matter what the possibility is, I can't afford to lose face at this time.

As soon as Li Jinglong stood up and raised his wine glass, he saw the little rickety old man in front of him, and he drank it all again.

This made Li Jinglong a little embarrassed, and he also drank the wine in the cup.

At this time, the Japanese magnates saw that the tense atmosphere had dissipated, and they came forward to toast one after another.

This scene fell into the eyes of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimori, who whispered a few words to the samurai around him.

The samurai immediately exited the banquet hall of the Flower Palace to run errands.

After a few moments, the samurai returned, and walked towards Ashikaga Yoshimori with a box.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who returned to his seat, squinted slightly, as if he was guessing what his eldest son was going to do.

Ashikaga Yoshinori took the box from the samurai's hands, stood up, and came to Li Keilong's side.

"This is a little respect for you, please smile."

Although Li Jinglong was flustered at this time, he also knew that no matter whether the shogun received porcelain or calligraphy and paintings, there should be no ill intentions, so he took it and opened it on the spot.

A katana, which appears in the box.

When everyone saw this knife, they began to talk about it, and they all looked excited.

"Onimaru!"

"What a knife!"

"This is a real sword! It was created by the forger Kunitsuna who fasted for three years! ”

"It is said that the first general of the Kamakura shogunate, Tokimasa Hojo, used this sword to cut off the head of the ghost in a dream!"

"The heirloom of the Hojo family, I didn't expect it to be used by the general today to give it to the general of the Ming Kingdom!"

Everyone was talking about it, and even Li Jinglong couldn't help but pick up the knife and look at it carefully.

This sword is different from other katanas in that it is not made of ordinary metal, but is made of special steel, the scabbard is black, and the handle is silvery-white.

Li Jinglong clenched the handle of the knife and suddenly felt heavy.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi explained with a smile, "This is a famous sword made by a blacksmith who fasted for three years, and it is said that Hojo Tokimasa, the first ruler of the Kamakura shogunate, was harassed by imps every night after he pacified the world. Because he couldn't sleep, he asked the mage and the onmyoji to do things, but it didn't work, and Shi Zheng finally fell ill, and he was very distressed. One night, Toshimasa dreamed that a sword appeared in front of him in the form of an old man, saying, "My body is too dirty to save you, let a clean person clean my body," and after saying that, he changed back to the original shape of the knife.

Shi Zheng believed in this dream very much, so he immediately cleaned up the knife the next day. Shi Zheng made a pot of charcoal in the house, and then he noticed a ghost shadow on the brazier, which was very similar to the ghost that appeared in his dreams every night...... At this time, the Taidao who was guarding Shi Zheng's side fell to the brazier and cut off the head of the little ghost. After that, Shi Zheng's condition gradually improved and recovered. For this time, the government named this knife 'Onimaru', and it became a family heirloom of the Hojo family. ”

Hearing Ashikaga Yoshimori's words, Li Jinglong was stunned for a moment, and then immediately understood the meaning of Ashikaga Yoshimori's words through allusions, and then looked at Ashikaga Yoshinori who was looking at him with a smile, and suddenly became vigilant.

The atmosphere, again became weird.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has just dealt with the past, and this Ashikaga Yoshinori wants to use his identity as the official envoy of the Ming Kingdom to announce something to the Japanese magnates?

Who is the imp referring to?

Who could make the young shogun feel troubled and unable to sleep?

Isn't it his younger brother, the younger Ashikaga Yoshitsugu?

If he accepted this knife, did it imply that the young shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori was going to use the "onimaru" of Daming to kill his younger brother Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, who was competing with him for the position of shogun?

Li Jinglong didn't accept it, and neither did he accept it.

Just when Li Jinglong was in a dilemma, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu suddenly spoke.

"Your Excellency, General, accept my child's gift, I still have a big gift for you."

With that, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu clapped his hands.

Several samurai carried heavy boxes to the banquet hall of the Flower Palace, and then put them down lightly.

Li Jinglong's heart was suddenly shocked!

Because, the appearance of that box, he is very familiar, is what he gave to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Could it be that this is a salute before a soldier?!

(End of chapter)